New Vienna Budget Raises Water And Sewer Fees

VIENNA, VA—Vienna Town Council voted Monday to adopt a $41.2 million budget with no real estate tax increase for fiscal year 2020.

The real estate tax will remain at $0.225 cents per $100 assessed value for the fifth straight year. Residents may still see their tax bills increase if their property values increased in the latest assessments. Vienna real estate assessments increased by 4.9 percent overall for residential properties and 0.14 percent for commercial properties. The average tax bill will increase from $1,518 to $1,582.

The Town anticipates increases in real estate tax revenue and parks and recreation fee revenue. The Vienna real estate tax is on top of the Fairfax County tax. The new Fairfax County budget maintains the rate at $1.15 per $100 of assessed value.

The new budget does increase water and sewer rates by about 10 percent, which equates to $64 per year. The higher fees align with those of Fairfax County.

On the personnel side, the 189 Town employees will receive a 3 percent merit raise. Employees who "exceed expectations" on evaluations can receive a $500 or $1,000 one-time bonus. A public works administrative assistant and parks and recreation customer care representative part-time positions will be upgraded to full time and a part-time temporary auditor position will be added in the finance department. Most Town employees will see a decrease in health insurance expenses due to lower rates.